For Midland Independent School District (ISD) Trustee Tommy Bishop, the hallmark of his 14 years on the board has been seeking ways for every student the district serves to get a quality education.
“I serve on the Board to see that every child gets a fair opportunity at an education," Bishop said in a post on the Midland ISD website.
Bishop, who represents District 3 on the Board, has a long history of public service predating when he first became a Midland ISD trustee in 2006, according to the post. He also served on the Crane ISD board for 12 years, and was president for the Region 18 School Board Association.
Originally born and raised in Crane, Bishop went on to study at Sul Ross State University, and he played both football and baseball in college. In later life, he married Claudine Bishop, and they have three children together.
“As a school district, we need to continue educating students for success in the 21st century and put a strong focus on academic progress on the STAAR test,” Bishop said in the post. Every child has the opportunity to learn, and it’s up to us as a board to provide them the tools they need to be successful."
In his efforts to understand the needs of students and their families, Bishop is known for taking time to hold meetings around the district on school campuses, according to the post.
A retiree with Chevron, Bishop spent 27 years with the company in their Exploration and Production Division, according to the post. He also was a safety and department of transportation manager for Bison Trucking, which is a division of Mammoth Energy.
In addition to his board duties, Bishop continues to stay active as an entrepreneur, and owns T-Bones Bar-B-Que & Catering, according to the post.